NASA Google Quantum Computer: The World's Most Expensive Computer Thinks Like a Human

NASA Google Quantum Computer: The World's Most Expensive Computer Thinks Like a Human

Who would have thought that quantum physics would find its way into a computer?

Just last Friday, NASA teamed up with Google to invest in the world’s first quantum computer. This computer is no MacBook Pro: At the steep price of $15 million, this doozy of a processor will use quantum computing for unheard-of calculation speeds 3600 times faster than those of conventional computers.

The Canadian D-Wave-Two is the first commercially available computational system that supposedly utilizes quantum tunneling to solve complex mathematical equations. This process represents a complete overhaul of the way computer scientists have thought about processing.

The first computer developed in 1948 filled rooms and took hours to process what can now be done in the blink of an eye. In addition to accelerating computational number crunching, engineers have compacted these machines to fit in the palm of your hand. Based on this knowledge, it hardly seems probable that we could need even smaller and faster computers.

Most computers function using the simple — albeit complex to the untrained eyes — binary systems in which everything can be coded down to zeroes and ones. These codes both store information and execute operations as needed.